"Hell, no! I love you, Beth, but you can't go out like that!" Christian had been waiting for more than a half hour for Beth to be ready. He had grown used to waiting. They had been a couple for nearly two years. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, with luxuriant dark curls framing her rosy cheeks and pouting lips, with her deep blue eyes that changed rapidly from teasing to innocent, with her long, lithe legs, tiny waist, and Jane Russell breasts. And that was the problem again today.
Beth appeared wearing a sheer coral blouse, with no undergarment. Her nipples perched high and tight on smooth pink mounds that wobbled with each step she took on her high, high heels. The flimsy skirt fell loosely to near mid-thigh, giving a clear view of the seamed dark stockings that hugged her narrow thighs and calves. Beth pivoted with her arms extended so he could get a near-blinding eyeful. "You like?" she purred.
Christian had been holding his breath, looking at her. When he exhaled, he did it with a kind of laugh. "Okay. April Fools' again. I remember last year. You wore a see-through blouse, but didn't let me know it until we were in the cinema, and the lights went down. Even then, every sneaky eye was glued to you, ignoring the explosions on the screen."
"I like to make my own excitement," she said.
"Not tonight, darling," he said. "Now change, please." Despite the warm weather so unusual for this time of year, Christian, as usual, was dressed impeccably, in sports coat, shined shoes, and crisply pressed slacks. He strove to look as good as possible when he was with her. Every man in the bar would be drooling over Beth, and trying to judge whether he might have a chance to replace Christian on Beth's arm. So far, Beth had met no one who even came close to measuring up to Christian's athletic body, chiseled jaw with slight beard, piercing gray eyes, thick dark hair, and the air of money that dripped from his shoulders. So, Beth was the envy of every gold-digger in the city, but she never worried about losing Christian to anyone else, not even those younger 21-year-olds who were now showing up in the bars where they partied.
Beth unbuttoned the blouse, her back to Christian. The wispy fabric slid languorously over her smooth, rose-tinged shoulders. She looked back at him with a pout as she moved toward her bedroom to change. She turned profile at the doorway, just to remind Christian of the gravity-defying lift of her warm breasts.
Christian's pulse raced. He hated to be manipulated this way, even by a woman as skilled at teasing as Beth. "Please, go change." He carefully placed his hands on her arm and her back to push her into her bedroom. At the touch, she gasped slightly and smiled. She loved to be touched, caressed and stroked, but now was not the time. They had to show up at the bar.
Beth's feet became tangled, and she lost her balance, falling into Christian's arms. She let her face rest against his shoulder. Christian instinctively wrapped his arms around her narrow frame. He swore he could feel the insistent poke of her tiny nipples through the fabric of his own clothes. As she found her balance, her leg crowded between his own. She lifted her thigh until she found his penis, hanging to the right as usual.
With great effort, Christian separated himself from Beth, who smiled sheepishly and said, "That wasn't supposed to happen."
Christian bundled her into the bedroom and closed the door after her. He called to her, "Come on, we're late. If you don't want to go to the bar, we can stay home."
"No," she called back through the closed door. "I want to go. I haven't been to my dad's bar in too long."
Christian had been successful in keeping her away from her father's neighborhood dive, named "Owen's Oasis." It had been open 30 years, longer than Beth had been alive, but still the place she had been raised. Since dating Christian, he introduced her to the finer things in life β restaurants with cloth napkins and expensive wine lists, artist's opening shows, Broadway and Lincoln Center even though both were 1,000 miles away, and week-long vacations on luxury yachts and private islands. Given all the choices Beth could have made, he was surprised that she only wanted to go to her father's place. So, he would indulge her.
Beth came out wearing a little azure dress that was deeply cleft in front. She wasn't wearing a bra, and was apparently proud of the fact, letting Christian see a generous portion of her breasts. It wasn't indecent, exactly, just extremely suggestive. He hoped she would remember to keep her back straight the entire night, otherwise the girls might have a rollicking night out.
"If you turn too quickly, you'll be arrested for indecent exposure," Christian said.
Beth laugh, "You think so?" She made a couple of quick twists, but the dress stayed put pretty well. Beth held up a roll of tape. "Double-sided tape." She tossed it into her matching over-sized purse.
She still wore the high, high heels and the seamed stockings. Golden earrings dangled, a golden necklace twisted toward her dΓ©colletΓ©, and golden bracelets clinked on her wrists. Because it was so warm, she refused any wrap over the dress. As they left her apartment, he wondered how she kept her seamed stockings tight and straight, since it was obvious, looking at her from behind, that she wore no underwear.
Christian's throat felt dry, he struggled to swallow, but smiled.
At Owen's Oasis, nothing had changed since the last time Christian had been in there. In 30 years, something must have changed though. The bowling machine must have been replaced by video games. At some point a dance floor and powerful speakers would have drowned out most conversation. Betting machines had been added. The Oasis's current incarnation seemed a quieter place, where you could watch sports, order greasy snacks to complement the wide variety of beers, and forget about the fact you lived in this neighborhood. The air of calm was deceptive.
Beneath the seeming calm, Owen's Oasis was an unpredictable place, with impromptu wet t-shirt contests, truth or dare games, or some tipsy beauty dancing naked on the bar for her friends. Not every night, but frequently enough to keep the patrons titillated and coming back, without attracting a rowdier crowd. Christian never pressed Beth too hard about her younger days. She had matured, she said, and brushed off any rumors of craziness in her youth. "You think my father would stand for that? He shut the whole place down early one night rather than let me enter a best bikini contest β and I was already 21 by then! Would you let me enter? Maybe with a pretty yellow string thong, with tiny triangles for the bra?"
Christian knew she was teasing, but his blood pressure spiked anyway. "Hell, no, Beth! Do you have any idea what men think when they see a woman in a string bikini?"
"Hmmm, yes. I think so," she said with a sly smile.
"Forget it." Then he added, "Please forget it."
Beth was in her element at Owen's Oasis. She sidled up to Barry, the emaciated old barfly with the perpetually smoldering cigarette, gray head of stringy hair, and watery eyes. She kissed his cheek. She couldn't get much closer without sitting on his lap. No need to worry about grabby hands, since he wouldn't let go of his drink or his cigarette. Vera the blond waitress took orders, delivered food and drinks, said almost nothing to anyone, even her boyfriend, Warren. Still she got lots of tips, because she was a blond wearing a too-tight skit and even tighter top, cropped to show her excellent abs and even better breast curves. Her outfit was reluctantly approved by Owen at the the insistence of her boyfriend, Warren. Warren thought at least one night a week she should be topless, since the bar would love to see her like that and the tips would be fantastic. When Vera threatened to quit rather than be topless, his plan was put on hold.
Despite the warm weather, Warren wore his Harley-Davidson jacket. He had a pair of faded and ripped blue jeans held up by a wide leather belt. He wore large Buddy Holly glasses. His face glowed golden from the sun and wind, right through his scruffy beard. When he smiled his teeth glowed white, which together with eyes the color of a summer sky, made him irresistible. Add to that the lure of the loud, throbbing motorcycle vibrating between her legs, and Christian could justify Vera staying with Warren. Any woman might.